Stockport coach company expands fleet

Stockport bus and coach hire company, Belle Vue, has invested more than £1 million in expanding its fleet over the past 12 months in response to surging demand.

The Stockport-based operator has taken delivery of a 76-seater Mercedes-Benz Tourismo coach and will shortly add a 53-seater MAN Neoplan Tourliner executive coach to its fleet for UK and European travel and is now on track for a record year.

Those vehicles follow the arrival of two 61-seater Neoplan Tourliners in April. Prior to that Belle Vue added a 34-seater Yutong TC9 midi-coach, a 19-seater Mercedes-Benz Sprinter executive minibus and a 1966 London Routemaster vintage double-decker with 77 seats to its fleet, which is used for weddings and other celebratory events and corporate hospitality trips.

In September, Belle Vue will take delivery of a 55-seater Neoplan Tourliner and two new double-decker school buses. Six more Neoplan Tourliner coaches are on order for delivery next March.

Ian Olsen, Belle Vue’s director of operations (pictured, left, with Belle Vue MD, Phil Hitchen), said:

“We are pleased to extend our fleet expansion programme with MAN as the business goes from strength to strength.”

Belle Vue managing director Phil Hitchen said the company had a record month in June, boosted by strong growth in corporate travel, day trips, airport transfers and an influx of bookings to take football fans to the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Manchester United, as well as the launch of a series of new contracts. July is looking even more buoyant, with the 2023 Open Championship at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club a key factor as the Stockport company gears up to transport a host of international spectators and TV crews to the Hoylake course.

Annual turnover is now on track to top £5 million for the first time in Belle Vue’s history and Phil said the company is looking to double in size over the next couple of years. Phil commented:

“The additions to our modern fleet feature the latest technology for enhanced driver and passenger comfort, and they have strong green credentials with lower emissions meeting Euro 6 standards and an improved miles-per-gallon performance.

“They represent a significant investment which reflects the strong growth we are seeing across the business.

“This results from a number of new contracts, including educational and corporate ones, as well as several new Manchester City supporters’ clubs wishing to utilise our varied fleet for travel to and from matches.

“Demand has also grown considerably for corporate outings to race meetings and other events, day trips throughout the UK and airport transfers, as overseas travel has recovered from the pandemic and the private hire and hospitality markets have rebounded.

“The investment in our fleet alongside driver training to enhance the customer experience enables us to meet this surge in demand for our services, and we are looking forward to further growth in the coming months and years amid a buoyant market for coach and bus travel.”

Earlier this year, Belle Vue teamed up with fast-growing coach network FlixBus to launch daily services between Manchester and towns and cities across the north, including Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne.